Each year, players from the previous year's draft class begin to cement themselves as legitimate prospects who were perhaps undersold heading into the draft.
Last season, players like Tanner Bibee, Bryce Miller, Ricky Tiedemann, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Justyn-Henry Malloy emerged early and just kept getting better. Bibee, Miller and Tiedemann finished the year as Top 100 Prospects.
These improvements in skills are often the product of professional instruction and coaching, strength gains or a combination of the two. This year, we focused on players drafted after the first round in 2022 who stood out early in the season to prime themselves as full-fledged breakout candidates.
ROBBY SNELLING, LHP, PADRES
Low-A Lake Elsinore
Snelling earned rave reviews this spring in the California League. The Padres' supplemental first-rounder out of a Reno high school dominated through nine appearances. The 19-year-old Snelling struck out nearly 30% of batters while limiting them to a .201 average and allowing a 1.01 WHIP. In 41.2 innings he had allowed just six earned runs.
Snelling's pitch mix consists of a four-seam fastball that sits 92-94 mph and touches 95, with 18 inches of induced vertical break. He pairs his fastball with a slurvy low-80s breaking ball and a mid-80s changeup he shows the ability to kill ride on. He has a projectable pitch mix with at least above-average stuff overall. Look for Snelling to rise up prospect rankings in the coming months.
TYLER LOCKLEAR, 1B, MARINERS
High-A Everett
Denne historien er fra June - July 2023-utgaven av Baseball America.
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Denne historien er fra June - July 2023-utgaven av Baseball America.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Wood Has Towering Upside- Nationals rookie James Wood also stands 6-foot-7 and also has game-changing power.
Aaron Judge and Oneil Cruz are 6-foot7 sluggers who stand out for their power in this year’s MLB Best Tools voting. Wood spent half of this season with Triple-A Rochester before making his MLB debut on July 1. While he was in the International League, he captured managers’ attention. Wood unanimously won Best Power Prospect and also claimed Most Exciting Player in a survey of league skippers. Wood hit .353/.463/.595 with 10 home runs in 52 games for Rochester. His .242 isolated slugging was the best for a player 21 or younger at Triple-A this season.
ROAD BLOCK?
Scholarship expansion puts mid-majors at a major disadvantage on the road to Omaha
ROYALS REVIVAL
A revamped and rejuvenated farm system has Kansas City ready to rebound
SUMMER STANDOUTS
The top prospects in summer college leagues are poised to impact the 2025 draft
FLORIDA COMPLEX LEAGUE TOP 10
Last year’s Florida Complex League prospect crop has been beset by lengthy injuries to many of its top players, including Yankees pitchers Henry Lalane and Carlos Lagrange, Mets infielder Marco Vargas and Red Sox catcher Johanfran Garcia.
IN WITH THE NEW
The 2024 draft is in the books. The trade deadline is history.
WALCOTT BLASTS OFF
It took some time for Rangers shortstop Sebastian Walcott to find his footing at High-A Hickory.
A RECORD NIGHT FOR COLLEGIANS
Four key takeaways from the 2024 draft
K.C.MASTERPIECE
Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. wins games for the Royals with his bat, glove, speed and baseball IQ. He might be the most tooled-up player in the game.
HOW THE MAJORS HAVE CHANGED FOR YOUNG PLAYERS
When negotiating the 2022 Collective Bargaining Agreement, the MLB Players Association prioritized the earning power of young major league players, especially young stars.